The Power of Obedience

In ACTS CH 8 v 26 - 40 a story is recounted about Philip sharing Jesus with an important Ethiopian official. Although the meeting was short, the impact was significant as the result was almost certainly the way God took the Gospel to the country of Ethiopia. Reading the account makes one realise that a lot of things needed to fall into place for this to work out. God engineers circumstances, but it still required the obedience of Philip to play out as planned.

• In v 26 Philip was told to go south. He went.
  In v 29 he was told to catch up to the chariot so he ran.
  Obedience requires an immediate response and some action.
  The chariot did not come to Philip.
  
  
• Philip was known as an Evangelist (ACTS 21 v 8).
  He had a preaching ministry in Samaria, yet he was told to leave and go to the desert road. There is little earthly logic in this. We need to be careful that we don't think we know better than God.
  
  
• Philip met the Ethiopian where he was at, primarily the passage from ISAIAH he was reading.
  There was no formula to how he shared his faith in Jesus.
  
  
• Philip used the Old Testament to introduce Jesus.
  When we read the Old Testament we should also see Jesus.
  
  
• Philip baptised the Ethiopian. He had asked Philip, "why cant I be baptised?" (v 37).
  We need to be careful we don't make rules and regulations for people who are trying to move on in their relationship with Jesus.

God must love disciples like Philip. People who will obey His leading no matter what, must make it easy for God to use them. If we want God to be able to use us to further His Kingdom then we need to be able to obey his leading. The encouragement from 1 JOHN 2 v 17b speaks volumes; "But if we obey God, we will live forever".